Clyde, Ohio Dems push for early in-person voting (video)

By Marc Kovac R-C Capital Bureau

Thursday

Oct 31, 2013 at 4:00 AM

COLUMBUS -- Democratic lawmakers are calling on Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted to direct county elections boards to allow in-person early voting through Monday in advance of next week's general election.

Sen. Nina Turner (D-Cleveland) and Rep. Kathleen Clyde (D-Kent) are among the minority party members who say Husted should follow a federal court decision last year, which opened the polls on extra days before Election Day.

"Ohioans deserve a chief elections officer that will not make it harder to vote," said Turner, who hopes to unseat Husted next year. "It strikes me as curious -- dare I say outrageous -- that the chief elections officer would use his power and his might to not allow or to not expand the franchise of the state."

But a spokesman for Husted said there are no statewide issues on Tuesday's ballot, and early voting hours are being coordinated by bipartisan local election boards, not state officials.

"There are no statewide issues on this November's ballot, so the rules are the same for all voters who will be casting ballots on the various local issues," Matt McClellan said in a released statement. "There is not a directive on the issue."

Last year, President Barack Obama's reelection campaign sued Husted after he directed county elections boards to cease early in-person voting on the Friday prior to the election.

The suit focused on language in state law that allows men and women serving in the military to cast ballots on the final Saturday, Sunday and Monday before Election Day but barred all other eligible voters from doing the same.

Husted said he was following state law, but a federal court sided with the Obama campaign, and the secretary of state subsequently directed county boards to allow in-person voting during set hours over those final three days.

Statehouse Democrats said Wednesday that the same hours should be allowed before next week's general election, though many county election boards are closing in-person voting on Friday.

But McClellan said the court case cited by Democratic lawmakers "dealt only with the 2012 presidential election" and that the secretary continues to follow state law.

Husted last week sent a letter to the Republican leaders of the Ohio House and Senate, urging them, among other priorities, to set uniform early voting hours statewide.

"These (Democratic) lawmakers should focus their efforts on working with other members of the General Assembly to pass a bipartisan bill that is constitutional and establishes uniform days and hours that are fair for all Ohio voters," McClellan said in response to Wednesday's press conference.

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